This invention was made with Government support under NR0000-06-C-0248 awarded by the United States National Reconnaissance Office. The Government has certain rights in this invention.
1. Field
The present disclosure relates generally to the data processing field, and more particularly to a method and apparatus for reducing data errors caused by radiation particle strikes in integrated circuits.
2. Background
Spacecraft, such as satellites, space stations, space shuttles, rockets, and the like may have various operational systems. These operational systems may include systems for navigation and communication, and other environmental systems used for operating and protecting a spacecraft in space. Each of these operational systems may include computers, processors, controllers, and other electronic equipment that comprise integrated circuits.
Radiation particles such as cosmic rays, protons trapped in the Van Allen belts, and particles from solar particle events can cause errors in integrated circuits. Radiation particle strikes can cause single event effects that upset storage circuits, register bits, and latches. These events are known as single event upsets (SEU). Radiation particle strikes in logic gates can create voltage transients, known as single event transients (SETs), that may be latched by storage circuits and cause a single event upset. Single event upsets can cause incorrect output or incorrect operation of an integrated circuit. This incorrect output or incorrect operation of an integrated circuit can lead to inconsistencies or incorrect behavior in the operation systems of a spacecraft, for example, such as loss of communication capability, corruption of transmitted or received data, or misguided navigation into an undesired orbit.
Therefore, it would be advantageous to have a method and apparatus that takes into account one or more of the issues described above as well as possibly other issues.